1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a packaging box, in particular of cardboard or a similar material, intended to accommodate and hold in position an object such as a flexible tube or a tubular bottle during transport and/or during the storage period.
2. Description of the Related Art
Such packaging boxes have long been known for the protection and presentation of products packaged in a tube, such as skin care creams, sun protection creams, toothpastes, dermo-pharmaceutical products, adhesives, mayonnaise, etc. These tubes frequently have a volume considerably smaller than the volume of the package intended for them, requiring a wedging device for holding them in the box during transport and storage.
At present, there are many packaging boxes on the market having a wedging device. In view of the large number of products on the market, packaged in such boxes, their cost must be as low as possible, hence the need for their manufacture to be easily accomplished and capable of automation. For this purpose it is desirable, far as possible, to make these packaging boxes with an integrated wedging device by cutting out a single cardboard sheet, called a blank, and by successively folding the various sides of the box.
Thus, for example, FR-A-2 703 663 discloses a box obtained from a previously cut out and pre-folded cardboard sheet and comprising six sides intended to form the outside of a parallelepiped box, and a plurality of elements attached to one of the external sides of the box and pre-folded cardboard sheet and comprising six sides intended to form the outside of a parallelepiped box, and a plurality of elements attached to one of the external sides of the box and bearing internally against two opposed sides of the packaging. These elements are arranged so as to define a space in which the object to be packed can be wedged.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,155,445 describes a cardboard box folded for packaging a bottle. The bottom of the box is lined by a section provided with an opening, allowing the bottle to be inserted and wedged in the box.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,400,879 describes a box for packaging a radio valve. This box has an internal wedging section provided with a frangible line that breaks when the valve is introduced into the box. Thus two flaps are formed for wedging the valve in the box.
In general, these packaging boxes presently on the market are satisfactory. However, from an industrial point of view, when placing the objects into their packaging, in certain cases according to the shape of the object, automated insertion into the box is not feasible or is only so with difficulty. Moreover, when one wishes to wedge the object in a specified angular position, for example with a view to its presentation, these known boxes are not suitable.